Mindfulness in the Studio: Staying Present with Every Piece

Bringing Presence and Patience from Everyday Life into My Creative Process

Mindfulness has become a core part of my ceramics process. I’ve found that the more present I am in the studio, the more meaningful and successful my work becomes. For me, mindfulness is about being fully engaged and aware while working on a piece—whether I’m shaping the clay on the wheel or carefully applying glaze. Being mindful doesn’t mean letting go of all expectations, but rather broadening them enough to allow creativity to flow more freely.

Creating a Mindful Studio Atmosphere

I don’t follow any set rituals to create a mindful atmosphere in the studio, but I do make sure I’m aware of my emotions before I start. Clearing my mind helps me approach my work with focus. Sometimes I ease into the day by starting with simpler tasks like pouring molds or unmolding pieces. This helps me get into the flow of things before I dive into more complex work, like throwing or glazing.

When I’m fully present, I notice that my pieces turn out better. Yesterday, however, was a reminder of what happens when I let distractions take over—6 out of 7 pieces flopped. My mind was on a glaze firing I had running in the kiln. I couldn’t stop thinking about the outcome of two large bowls I had worked hard on. I’ll be unloading the kiln tomorrow, so fingers

crossed they come out as I hoped!

Embracing Flops as Practice

One thing mindfulness has taught me is to see flops as part of the process, not failures. Yes, I still get frustrated when something goes wrong, but I’m learning to breathe through those moments. For me, failure is giving up, and that’s just not an option. I’ve also started looking at glaze "mistakes" as testing. When a combination doesn’t turn out as I expected, it’s just one more step toward understanding how the chemistry between the glazes interact. Without tests, there would be no breakthroughs, no beautiful glaze combinations.

Mindfulness Beyond the Studio

Interestingly, my journey into mindfulness didn’t start with ceramics—it began with my role as a mother. I was finding myself getting upset with my daughter when things didn’t go as I wanted. I started listening to Raising Good Humans by Hunter Clarke-Fields, a book that helped me see the importance of being mindful with my child. It taught me to stop trying to control everything and instead focus on being present, breathing through moments of frustration, and recognizing that she’s learning every day—just like I am.

Once I started practicing mindfulness as a parent, I realized how much it could help in my ceramics journey, too. Just like with parenting, every day in the studio is a new day, every throw is a new throw. It’s about embracing the present moment and accepting that, whether things turn out perfectly or not, I’m always learning and growing.

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